There will always be times when we need to eat breakfast on the run, whether we’re late for school, work or a flight to somewhere tropical. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and, if you’re anything like me, you don’t want to have to skip it just because you were in a big rush to get out the door. The solution is to make up something that you can take on-the-go in advance, so you’re prepared when you know that an upcoming morning is likely to be hectic. Muffins are a good option, and so are these Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Breakfast Bars.

These bars are inspired by banana bread and are packed with ripe bananas, chocolate chips and other flavorful ingredients. The recipe bakes a fairly large batch, so you can slice them up and individually wrap them to satisfy a hungry crowd (or just save some for later, since they also freeze well). Since they are for breakfast, these bars are on the healthy side of things. They include just a small amount of vegetable oil and a generous amount of mashed banana. They’re sweet enough to satisfy a sweet tooth and they have enough chocolate in them to make them feel like a treat without seeming like a nutritional bar but they are also full of whole grains and get an extra nutritional boost from some chia seeds that I included in the batter.

I would have loved to have had these for breakfast when I was a kid. They seem like a fun, indulgent thing to eat for breakfast (because of the chocolate chips) and they taste great. They also would have been very easy to grab for a breakfast on the go on days when I was late, not to mention that they could easily have fit inside my lunch bag for snacking later in the day. I may be long-since out of school, but at least I can still enjoy these bars for breakfast because the things that make them appealing to a kid still make them appealing to grown-ups – as long as you still like chocolate, bananas and don’t mind having a little something different for breakfast or a mid-morning snack.

The bars keep well when stored in an airtight container and are easy to pack up for single servings. For variety, you can substitute all or some of the chocolate chips for chopped walnuts or pecans. You can omit the chia seeds, or replace them with flax seeds, if you don’t have any on hand. And, if you really want to add more whole grains, you can even use whole wheat flour in this recipe, though I recommend using white whole wheat for the best finished texture.

Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 10×15-inch baking pan with parchment paper and lightly grease.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.
In a large bowl, whisk together vegetable oil, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and mashed banana. Stir in the flour mixture, followed by the oats, chia seeds and chocolate chips.
Transfer batter into prepared pan and use a spatula to smooth it into an even layer.
Bake for 18-21 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bars comes out clean and the top springs back when lightly pressed.
Allow to cool completely, then slice into bars.